ean Little’s most recent book, The Sweetest one of all, is a picture book for very young children and their parents. In it, barnyard animal babies ask their mothers who they are and each of them is told that he or she is the sweetest one of all. The book ends with a human mother telling her little one the same thing. And getting a loving hug in response. The playful text should continue to delight both children and adults even after many readings.

The colourful illustrations by Marisol Sarrazin are endearing and filled with lively detail. Each will hold small readers spellbound.

Jean Little

J

ean Little is recognized throughout Canada and the United States for her candid and unsentimental portrayals of adolescent life. Once a teacher of handicapped children, Little herself is only partially sighted, and she uses much of her real-life experience as the basis for her books.

PearlsDad gave me a string of pearls for my birthday. They aren't real pearls but they look real. They came nested in deep, deep blue velvet in a hinged box with a silvery lid.His sister had some like them when she was my age. She was thrilled. He thought I'd really like them. I said I did. I love the box. Jean Little frequently weaves poetry into the fabric of her many novels. Hey World is a collection of short prose and poems, some of which first made their appearance in Look Through My Window and Kate. The bulk of them are printed here for the first time. With the same blend of sensitivity, insight and candour that has characterized her novels, these short pieces articulate a wide range of young adolescent concerns. Kate ponders the nature of love, war, birth, death, siblings, friendship, school, teachers, parents and of course, members of the opposite sex.